Riser sprinted to the early lead and never looked back while rolling to a powerful 5¼-length victory in Sunday’s $50,000 Coca-Cola Stakes for 3-year-old colts and geldings at Emerald Downs.
Ridden by Eswan Flores at 120 pounds, Riser covered 6½ furlongs in a meet-fastest 1:15.26 and paid $3.80, $2.60 and $2.20. Blaine Wright, who also saddled runner-up Aqua Frio, is the winning trainer for owner Jared Chappell of Sugar City, Idaho.
Riser set fractions of :22.22, :44.46 and 1:08.86 en route to his second victory of the meet and his first career stakes win. An Ohio-bred colt by Mizzen Mast-Goodbye Cat, Riser earned $27,500 while upping his career ledger to 3-0-0 in six starts with earnings of $54,845.
“I really thought (Riser) was the fastest horse in the race, and I told Eswan to put him on the lead,” said Wright, the meet’s leading trainer with 14 wins.
Aqua Frio, ridden by Kevin Orozco at 118 pounds, chased the winner home and while no threat to the winner easily was best of the rest. An $180,000 Uncle Mo colt, Aqua Frio earned $10,000 and is 2-6-1 in 10 starts with earnings of $108,950 for Peter Redekop of Vancouver, B.C.
Sharkzilla, upset winner of the Auburn Stakes last month, advanced five-wide on the turn and finished evenly for third place, 2¾ lengths back of Aqua Frio. Ridden by Erick Lopez at high-weight of 124 pounds, Sharkzilla paid $2.60 to show.
Rifle Gernade, longest shot on the board at 47-1, finished fourth, followed by Strate Remark, Monydontspenitself, Keller’s Gold, Last Call Lobo and Sure Sweet.
Flores has ridden Riser in both wins this season, including a 7-length allowance win last month.
The $50,000 Seattle Slew Stakes at one mile is next for 3-year-olds on Sunday, July 2.
Notes
An Emerald Downs’ record carryover of $42,633 is up for grabs in the $0.20 Pick 7 when racing resumes Friday. Thorn Legacy ($23.40), Ready Set Jet ($19.20) and Ozark Daredevil ($17.20) combined to thwart Pick 7 players Sunday. … Rocco Bowen rode four winners Sunday and has opened a 23-win lead in the jockeys’ standings. Bowen, who has 47 wins in 26 days, also was involved in a starting gate mishap in the 10th race in which his mount, Dialing Fordollars, was a late scratch. Bowen appeared to escape serious injury, although he was favoring an ankle. … David Martin and Juan Gutierrez rode two winners each Sunday. … Eswan Flores has stakes wins this season aboard Citizen Kitty (Hastings) and Riser (Coca-Cola). … Blaine Wright has two stakes wins this season – Alliford Bay (Seattle) and Riser – and 14 all-time at Emerald Downs. … Emmett Park, also trained by Wright, ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:15.56 on May 28, which was fastest of the meet until Riser’s win Sunday. … Jerre to Carrie ($4.20) joined Exit Sixty Slew in the three-win category at the meet, scoring a nose triumph over long shot Ila Veiw in Sunday’s ninth race for $40,000 claiming fillies and mares. Ridden by Bowen for trainer Kay Cooper and owner Richard Caswell, Jerre to Carrie zipped 6½ furlongs in 1:15.67. … The Quarter Horse combination of jockey Eduardo Gutierrez-Sosa and trainer Hector Magallanes struck again Sunday with Tickle Ur Fancy ($6.20) in the $5,000 allowance opener at 350 yards. Gutierrez-Sosa and Magallanes have now won four of the first five Quarter Horse races this season. … Live racing resumes Friday with Indian Relay Racing 2017. In addition to live Thoroughbred action, there will be three Indian Relay races Friday, Saturday and Sunday. First post Friday is 6:30 p.m.
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